Research: Do Test-Optional Policies in Engineering Admissions Improve Decision Making and Equity? Empirical Research using Experimental Simulations

In prior NSF-funded research, the team demonstrated that experimental simulations of admissions practices can have a substantial impact on improving equity in admissions decision making. This experimental study investigates whether students who do not submit test scores under test-optional admissions policies are disadvantaged by doing so, particularly for low-income students, women, and students of color underrepresented in engineering. Given the pervasiveness of test-optional admissions policies in the post-COVID era, and many claims made for the potential of test-optional admissions to increase student diversity, this study addresses particularly relevant policy and practice questions in the current environment.